The death toll from the devastating July Fourth flash flood that tore through Texas Hill Country has climbed to at least 109, with many victims being children.
Rescue crews continue searching through heavy, mud-covered debris for over 180 people still missing.
Governor Greg Abbott shared the figures on Tuesday, four days after one of the most tragic flood disasters the U.S. has seen in recent memory.
Most of the lives lost and ongoing search efforts are focused in Kerr County, especially the city of Kerrville.
Torrential rains hit the region last Friday, overwhelming the Guadalupe River and turning the area into a scene of widespread destruction.
Of the 94 bodies recovered so far in Kerr County, about one-third were children, the governor said during a news briefing after an aerial survey.
Among the victims were 27 young campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a long-established Christian girls’ camp near Hunt, located along the Guadalupe. The camp’s director was also killed.
Five girls and a counselor from the camp remain unaccounted for, along with one other child not connected to the camp.
Beyond Kerr County, 15 more deaths linked to the flooding have been confirmed across other parts of the Texas Hill Country, an area often hit hard by flash floods.
Some local reports suggest the number of lives lost outside Kerr County may actually be higher, with figures reaching up to 22.
Governor Abbott warned that the final death toll could rise as floodwaters recede and search operations continue.
In Kerr County alone, a list of 161 people is still marked as missing. Authorities are working to cross-check those names with people who may simply be out of contact due to travel or communication gaps.
“We need to find every single person who is missing. That’s job number one,” Abbott stated.
Twelve more people are unaccounted for in other parts of the flood zone, a wide region to the northwest of San Antonio.
San Antonio-born country singer Pat Green revealed in a social media post that four of his family members, including his younger brother, sister-in-law, and two children, were among those swept away in the floods.
Ongoing search efforts have been made more difficult by unstable weather, as thunderstorms and showers continue to pass through.
Federal responders, neighboring states, and even teams from Mexico have joined the operation. But with each passing day, the likelihood of finding survivors has lessened. The last person found alive in Kerr County was rescued last Friday.
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens described the work as “extremely treacherous” and said conditions remained dangerous and difficult. “It’s dirty work. The water is still there,” he added.
Amid the ruins, stories of heartbreak continue to surface. Sandi Gilmer, a 46-year-old U.S. Army veteran and volunteer chaplain, came across a soaked family photo album while searching along the riverbank.
“I don’t know how many people in this album are alive or deceased,” she said while flipping through the pictures.
“I didn’t have the heart to step over it without picking it up and hoping to return it to a family member.”
The flash flood disaster began when more than 12 inches of rain fell in under an hour early Friday morning, unleashing a surge of water that tore through homes, trees, and vehicles.
The flooding was particularly intense where two tributaries of the Guadalupe River joined forces near Kerrville.
Local officials have been facing tough questions about whether enough was done to alert people in harm’s way. While the state’s emergency agency did issue warnings the day before, the actual rainfall was far beyond what had been predicted.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said the situation developed so rapidly that organizing a large-scale evacuation would have been too risky.
Experts point out that such extreme flooding is becoming more frequent as climate change causes warmer temperatures and heavier rainfall across Texas and other parts of the U.S.
When asked about flood readiness and warning procedures, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha declined to name who was responsible for monitoring alerts or issuing warnings, saying, “We’re in the process of trying to put (together) a timeline.”
He said 911 calls started coming in between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday, which was a few hours after the local weather station had issued a flash flood alert.
Governor Abbott said the Texas legislature will meet in a special session later this month to review the state’s emergency response and allocate funds for disaster aid.